


Get Bent

by WeWillSpockYou



Series: Georgia On My Mind Special Chapters [6]
Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-31
Updated: 2015-06-02
Packaged: 2018-04-02 04:09:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 19,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4045369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WeWillSpockYou/pseuds/WeWillSpockYou
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The full story of how Atty met Harper at a society wedding in Savannah, Georgia. </p><p>This story will publish in three chapters leading up to Wednesday's new chapter of Georgia On My Mind.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [GoWashTheLights](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoWashTheLights/gifts), [Corrie71](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Corrie71/gifts).



[](http://postimage.org/)   
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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to Corrie71 for designing this cover!!


	2. Chapter 2

**Brooks, Harper- Smithe/Davis Wedding, Savannah, Georgia**

An outraged shriek echoed throughout the newsroom. Harper had read the assignment sheet three times, then a fourth with his glasses on, then a fifth, tracing over his name with his finger. The assignment read the same each time. A wedding. They wanted him to cover a society wedding four hours away.

He knew he shouldn’t have done it, but he scanned down the rest of the assignment sheet. They were sending little Monty Scotty to Syria. _Little ginger bastard was going to come back with a Pulitzer._ Uhura was off on the campaign trail with Hillary Clinton. He would have given his eye teeth for that beat. To be in on the ground level of the campaign that would elect this country’s first female president. _Of course they put a woman on that beat._ He wasn’t being sexist, just disappointed and a tad jealous. Okay fine, he was seriously jealous. Harper mustered up his dignity and stormed into his editor’s office.

“Your queen is showing, Harper.” John Kennex, managing editor of the news team, said dryly. 

“Bite me, Kennex.” Harper bit out harshly. He’d known his editor for twenty years. He wasn’t a bad sort but obviously was out of his tree. “A wedding, John, really?”

“It’s big news, Harper. Someone has to cover it.”

“Why does the someone have to be me?” Harper made dramatic air quotes over the word someone.

“Figured maybe you don’t want to be traveling too far afield anymore, Anderson Cooper, you’re not.”

 _I sure as fuck used to be._ “Is that your way of telling me I’m too old?” Harper said.  When all he got was stoic silence from Kennex he tried a different tact. “You’re sending Monty to Syria, why not me?”

John sighed. He was the one getting too old to deal with temperamental reporters. There was no easy way to tell Harper he was over the hill, that there were younger, better newsmen and women who were better suited to take on the heavy lifting assignments of foreign wars and presidential campaigns. He wasn’t in the mood to get into this discussion now. “Cover the wedding, Harper. I’m not asking you.”

“Motherfucking peach barons.” Harper muttered on his way out the door.

“Hey, I got the perfect headline for your society wedding.” Monty Scott hollered from across the room, “Peachy Queen!” Monty broke out laughing, and soon the entire newsroom had joined in.

Harper felt a furious blush crawling up his neck. He rushed out of the newsroom with as much dignity as he could muster.

XX

Atticus closed his eyes and turned his face toward the sun. He let out a happy sigh. It was a perfect day in Savannah. He was waiting for his order of a turkey BLT and lemonade to be ready and was enjoying a moment in the sunshine. It struck him in this was the exact spot where Jim had proposed to his Leo back in November. Atty always stayed at the Bohemian Hotel whenever he was in Savannah and this trip was no exception. He was here for a society wedding later this afternoon. The daughter of one peach farmer was marrying the son of another. It was a Romeo and Juliet of sorts, with both sets of parents forbidding their children to date each other but they had done so anyway. Thankfully everyone came to their senses before the kids had to resort to poison and daggers. Atty laughed quietly to himself, it never ceased to amaze him the way parents tried to stop the course of true love.

He dug his cell phone out of his back pocket and snapped a selfie. He added a quick message and fired it off to Jim and Leo. Atty felt a catch in the back of his throat when he took a second look at the picture. It wasn’t that the picture was blurry or the lighting was off, it was that he was alone in it. For the first time since he lost his Jefferson, he wished he had someone to share this gorgeous day with him. He dismissed the thought quickly and went back to his table to wait for his lunch.

XX

That lonely ache deep in his heart hit again in the shower. He always pictured Jefferson as he jacked off, but that wasn’t doing it for him lately. He needed more than the memory of his dead husband. He needed the touch of another man. Maybe it was time to start dating again? He would love Jefferson until his last breath, but maybe it was time he made room in his heart for someone else. Jefferson had made him promise to find love again and he had agreed because his husband was dying, he couldn’t deny him anything. This was the first time that he felt he was ready to honor his promise. He made up his mind to speak with Leo about single doctors at Atlanta Mercy when he got home tomorrow.

XX

The ballroom of the Savannah Hilton was gorgeous. White wrought iron tables were decorated with peach blossoms accented with peachy-pink roses. He snapped several shots of the empty ballroom, focusing on the flowers and the ambience of the room. He had been afraid the room would be completely awash in shades of peach, thankfully there was a lot of white mixed in making the peach accents pop.

He made his way outside to where the ceremony would take place. He stepped down the terrace and onto the beach snapping pictures of gentle waves lapping against the sand, making sure the wedding arbor was in the foreground of each picture. Atty turned and snapped pictures of the wedding aisle, lined with a peach silk runner. He took more pictures of the flowers that decorated the sides of the chairs leading to the altar. _What a gorgeous place to make a lifetime vow to the person of your dreams_ , he smiled to himself and took a few more shots of the scene.

Satisfied with his shots, he walked back to the hotel to get some candids of the bride as she prepared for her special day. He said a quick prayer daddy’s money hadn’t turned her into a Bridezilla. There was nothing worse than a bitchy bride. Unless it was an unhappy daddy.

XX

“Motherfucker.” Harper grumbled for what must’ve been the tenth time in as many minutes. A child running out into the road on Bay Street had caused him to slam on his brakes, sending his Hawaiian Punch crashing against the steering wheel and splattering all over his white button-down. Thankfully, he had been wearing a black bow tie, which didn’t show the stains, but the shirt was a complete ruin. It looked like it had been washed with a red sock.

After making sure the child got back to her mother safely, he had pulled into the parking lot of a nearby supermarket. He had a spare shirt in the backseat of his car which had been there for months and was hopelessly wrinkled. He gave it a few spritzes from a can of Febreeze that had also been in his back seat for months. Not able to make the shirt look presentable, he hurried into the grocery store to use the men’s room which thankfully had a hand dryer.

How had he sunk this low? He knew he was getting on in years. The new lines at the corners of his eyes hadn’t escaped his notice, neither had the silver threads which had begun showing up in his wavy black hair. He could live with being forty-nine and aging gracefully, if alone. What he couldn’t live with was being a laughing stock in the newsroom.

His career at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution had begun right out of college when he was hired as a runner. A few short months later he had been given his first assignment. He grinned to himself as he remembered how excited he had been to cover a dog show in Atlanta. From there, he climbed the ranks quickly and soon became the paper’s most read byline. It used to be people bought the paper just to read his stories. He would walk into local coffee shops and hear every day people talking about his columns. He had spent years building the name Harper Brooks to stand for uncompromising integrity with his fearless reporting. In twenty-nine years with the paper he had never once said no to a war zone; Somalia, Rwanda, Iraq, Afghanistan, he had been to them all and told the stories Americans needed to hear. How was it he was standing in the grimy men’s room of a cut-rate supermarket air drying a wrinkled shirt?

“Motherfucker.” He muttered again before shrugging into the still wrinkled shirt. If anyone asked, he’d blame it on the humidity.  Everyone in Georgia would believe that story.

XX

Atticus noticed the wrinkled man the moment he stepped onto the hotel’s terrace. He looked angry and lost, not to mention completely adorable in his black silk bowtie. Atty watched in fascination as the man patted himself down, finally pulling a long, slim notebook from the pocket of his equally wrinkled pants. “Must be one of the reporters.” He mumbled out loud to no one.

Not having anything else to do at the moment, he decided to introduce himself. The man got more and more handsome the closer Atty got. He was about an inch or two shorter than himself, but had broader shoulders. His hair was thick and dark. Atty shivered in the hot Georgia sunshine, fantasizing what it would feel like to run his fingers through the other man’s silky hair. The stranger turned just as Atty approached him. He had the most amazing blue eyes; dark blue like a Caribbean lagoon, but the frown he wore on his too handsome face was fierce enough to scare children and small animals.

“Atticus Buford, wedding photographer extraordinaire.” He stuck out his hand to shake with the handsome, wrinkled stranger.

The man sneered at his hand refusing to take it. “Harper Brooks, society wedding virgin. Get bent!”

XX

Harper regretted telling Atticus to “get bent” the moment he got a good look at him. His steely blue eyes looked startled for a moment and then he burst out laughing. Harper could feel his own frown deepening as the handsome man laughed at him. His laugh was deep and rich, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

“Good to meet’cha, Harp. Let me know if there are any specific shots the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wants.” He turned and strolled away from a stunned Harper, removing the lens cap of his camera as he went.

“Atticus, how did you know I was with the AJC?” His eyes were lit with guarded curiosity. It didn’t happen as often with newspaper reporters as it did with his television brethren but there were news groupies out there. He had fended off his share of nutters in the course of his career.

“I spend every morning in bed with you, Harper Brooks.” He winked and started snapping pictures as Harper’s curious look turned to shock then embarrassment.

XX

Atty was thankful for his dark pants. They made his awakening cock less visible. What was Harper Brooks doing working this wedding? He should be covering the conflict in Syria or out on the 2016 campaign trail. He understood why Harper was grumpy, bordering on rude, but that didn’t mean Atty wasn’t going to have fun with him. This day kept getting better.

As busy as Atticus was during the ceremony, he found plenty of opportunities to harass his new friend. He was using the term “friend” lightly. Every time Harper looked over at him, Atticus winked. He loved the way Harp’s pale skin would redden before he turned away breaking eye contact, a frown on his face. Atticus would have thought Harper wasn’t interested, but it was that adorable blush that gave him away. Not that Harper was the type of man who would like being told he was adorable, which of course would make telling him all the more enjoyable.

He noticed Harper taking angry notes, his hand moving in quick slashing strokes across the page during a reading by one of the bride’s sisters. Atty managed to slip behind Harper to peer over his shoulder. He had been wrong, Harper wasn’t taking angry notes about the wedding, he was drawing a gorilla in a wedding dress. As much as he hated to admit it, the gorilla in the drawing looked better in the dress than the bride. He snorted, drawing Harper’s attention to him.

“Do you mind, that’s very rude.” Harper whispered, furious at being caught doodling.

“And drawing the bride dressed as an ape is the height of fine southern manners I suppose?” Atty drawled close to Harper’s left ear.

“Big words for a man who’s been taking pictures of me without my consent all afternoon.” Harper sounded like a five year old who hadn’t had a nap.

“Lighten up, Harp. I take photographs of what appeals to me.” He moved in closer, barely brushing his shoulder against Harper’s, able to smell the spicy scent of his aftershave. “And like it or not, I find you _very_ appealing.” He pulled back when he felt Harper shudder.

Atty had worried earlier in the day that he had been out of the dating game for so long he wouldn’t remember how to flirt. Turns out, it was just like remembering how to ride a bike and he had a feeling falling off would be half the fun.

XX

 _Damn you, Atticus Buford._ Harper could still feel the ghost of Atticus’ touch. It was burning a path from the back of his shoulder straight to his cock. It had been over a year since the last time Harper had been with another man. Between work and the stress of trying to find someone who was interested in more than a quickie in the men’s room, he had given up on dating. He didn’t regret his career path for one moment, but he wished he’d made a bit more time for romance instead of being out all the time chasing the next lead, the next big story. He hadn’t meant to end up forty-nine years old and alone.

He had realized early on in his life that he was gay. Growing up in a fanatically religious Southern Baptist home in Fort Worth, Texas, he had to hide his true colors carefully. He spent his high school years dating girls and using his “religion” as an excuse for not wanting to go all the way. He did his share of kissing and groping, but never let things progress much beyond that stage, dropping one girl in favor of another before they could get too attached to him or figure out his secret. Once he had secured a scholarship to the University of Georgia in Athens, he came out to his parents who promptly disowned him. Like the good little Christian soldiers they were, his brother and sister quickly followed suit.  He had been alone ever since, but he was free to be himself and that was certainly worth the loss of his family who had never understood him in the first place.

He shoved his battered notebook back into his pocket and grabbed his smartphone. He pulled up Google and did a quick search on Atticus Buford. Turned out the man was much more than a wedding photographer. He had a thriving family law practice back in Atlanta and was a staunch advocate of marriage equality. One of the pictures he opened was a wedding photograph of two smiling men holding three kids; two girls, one an infant and the other a little boy who was his father’s twin. Atticus had his arm wrapped around the blonde newlywed, looking every bit like a proud father. His stomach pinched as his mind wondered what it would be like to be part of a family like that, where being gay would never be an issue. He frowned and shoved the phone back into his pocket just as the minister was telling the groom he could kiss his bride.

XX

The end of the wedding ceremony was always one of the busiest times for Atty. He had to make sure he had the “kiss” shot lined up and was ready to capture the newly married couple as they walked down the aisle to start their life together. He also used that time to get a lot of candid shots of the wedding guests, weepy mothers of the bride and proud but also weeping fathers.

Once the ceremony was finished, the bride and groom went off to sign their marriage certificate, giving Atty a chance to catch his breath before he needed to set up for the formal shots of the wedding party.

“Thought you could use this, it’s hot as Satan’s sun porch out here.”

When Atty turned around, Harper was holding out a cold, mini bottle of water. “Much appreciated, Harp.” Atty opened the bottle and slugged the whole thing down in one long sip. Atty stuck the empty bottle in the back pocket of his pants, he’d get rid of it later.

“Harper Brooks, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” He held out his hand to Atticus.

Atty grinned, “Haven’t we done this before?”

“Yeah, but I was being a real jackass last time.” Harper smiled.

Atty felt dizzy for a moment when Harper smiled at him. He was handsome before when he had been grumpy but a smiling Harp was devastatingly gorgeous. He took a deep breath and felt his knees go weak.  The dark blue of Harper’s eyes had deepened and crinkles appeared around his eyes. He was obviously a man who laughed a lot. His mind was spinning but he was alert enough to start thinking about ways to make Harper laugh.

Once he realized where he was and that Harper still had his hand extended, Atty reached out and took Harper’s hand in his own. He almost gasped out loud at the zing of attraction that sang through his body when their palms slid together. “Atticus Buford, my friends call me Atty.”

“Hi Atty.” Harper said almost shyly. “My friends call me Harper with the exception of one maddening new friend who insists on calling me Harp, like the musical instrument.”

Atty felt a surge of adrenaline fire through his body. His mind went immediately to a vision of him playing Harper like the finely tuned instrument he was, his fingers working over his hard flesh, making Harp resonate with sound. His cock jerked and he jumped a little in response. “Well you seemed to be high strung…” Atty teased with a smile and another wink.  “Well, gotta head off for the formal pictures, thanks for the water.”

Atty wasn’t needed for pictures for another fifteen minutes but he’d need that time to jack his raging erection and get himself back under control. He wondered if Harper was in the same boat or if this wildfire attraction was only one-sided. There was only one way to find out. Once his cock stopped demanding his attention he’d figure out his next move.

Harper couldn’t tell if Atty was leaving so much as he was escaping. One thing was for certain though, that man was definitely interested in him. Question was, what was he going to do about it?

XX

The formal pictures took longer than expected. The bride had only wanted sunny pictures of herself and her new husband standing on the beach and the sun had slid behind some white fluffy clouds. So Atticus, along with the bride and groom waited for the reappearance of the sun.

The young couple spent the time whispering to each other and exchanging kisses. Atty kept shooting, knowing the bride would be happy to have these candid shots, even if the sun wasn’t out. The break in the action gave Atty a chance to think about Harper. He wasn’t wearing a ring, but a lot of married, gay men didn’t wear a wedding ring. The times were changing and marriage equality was becoming a reality throughout more of the deep south, but Georgia was standing firmly in the past. Gay marriage of any kind was not allowed in the state and outside of Atlanta you could still be fired because of your sexual orientation. He thought about Jim and Leo’s happy day and how they had to pack up their entire family and drive two days away from Georgia to have the wedding of their dreams. He was saved from the more depressing though that it didn’t matter if “gay” marriage wasn’t yet legal in Georgia, since he didn’t have anyone to marry anyway, when the sun made its reappearance.

XX

Harper didn’t see Atty again until after the introduction of the bridal party at the reception. The father of the bride had cornered him just before the meal was served, wanting to make sure the story he wrote about the wedding would be glowing. It wasn’t the first time Harper had been intimidated by a “witness” to history, but it sure as hell was the first time it had happened in a posh ballroom with a glass of champagne in his hand. He had assured the peach baron all would be well. “Make sure you eat up, damn meal cost me a damn fortune.” _Eat up?_ Harper, being a society wedding virgin had no idea he had been invited to the feast and thought maybe he should check with Atty just to be sure.

XX

“I was wondering when you’d take the hint and have a seat.” Atty grinned when Harper took the seat next to him at the furthest table back at the reception.  It was filled with misfit relatives, “reporter,” “photog,” and a strange woman no one seemed to know at all.

“Guess I’m ‘reporter.’” Harper snorted when he picked up the place card with that word written on it in scrawling cursive.

“Yup, and I’m ‘photog.’ How’s your story coming along?” Atty reached across the table for the ignored basket of rolls, taking two for himself and handing the basket to Harper.

“Hungry?” Harper grinned as he watched Atty slather both rolls in butter. “You look like a great white shark at a seal buffet.”

“Well then you’d better belly up, they always stick me at the last table which means the food comes last, which means they start the toast and the dances before my meal is served, which means I never get to eat. At least you can take notes from here, unless you planned on walking around and talking to the family and other guests?” Harper burst out laughing. He could tell from the confused look on Harper’s face he hadn’t considered interviewing anyone.

XX

Atty had stayed through the end of the salad course before he had to get ready for the toast by the best man. Harper had to admit it wasn’t as much fun being at the misfit table without him. When Random Aunt Number Four had started telling stories about the process to make peach preserves, Atty knew just what to say to make her feel special. Harper, on the other hand, wanted to call the nearest psych ward. No one should be that enthusiastic about fruit and molten sugar.

He found himself watching Atticus as he moved around the ballroom trying to find the right location for the shots he needed. He liked the elegant way his body moved as he positioned himself as unobtrusively as possible, being in the scene, but not part of it. Harper didn’t encounter many people like that in his line of work. The people he met always wanted to be part of the thing that was going on, be it a drone strike in Afghanistan or genocide in Rwanda. Atty just seemed to blend into the scene, his eyes catching every detail, big or small. It would have been amazing to have Atty with him on some of his stories. His body instantly revolted at that idea, shudders wracking through him. It had been bad enough seeing the horrors of war through his own eyes. He couldn’t imagine seeing them through Atty’s. He didn’t know where that fierce wave of protection toward Atty had just come from and if he were being honest, it scared him to death. Harper Brooks, serious newsman, would never have been that soft, he would have taken Atty into the danger zone without a second thought because his pictures combined with Harper’s words would tell the story that needed telling.

XX

Atty had been sneaking covert shots of Harper as he continued to shoot the bride’s dance with her father. Surprisingly, the bride had chosen a live orchestral band to play at the wedding. The group was playing golden oldies like Glenn Miller’s _Moonlight Serenade._ Atty loved it and hummed along.

His job was just about done now that the bride was busy dancing with her father and the groom with his mother. It was time for him to figure out his end game when it came to Harper. Should he tip a cocky wink and head out the door? Should he ask for his number? Or just go for broke and invite him back to his hotel room at the Bohemian? He turned back to see Harper still sitting at the wedding misfit table laughing along with something one of the random aunts was telling him. Laughter looked good on him, he just wished he were close enough to hear him. He snapped the lens cap back on his camera and sought out the mother of the bride to see if there was anything else she needed before he called it a night.

Once he had been turned loose by the bride’s parents, he headed off to find Harper. He had decided he was going to take him back to the hotel  and neither one would leave until they were both limping from the marathon of sex he had planned. He could see Harper was standing near their table talking animatedly with a much younger man with eager eyes and a worshipful smile. He watched for a moment as the conversation continued with Harper reaching out his hand to clap the young man’s shoulder. The last straw was seeing Harper handing his card to the young man with a big smile. He stopped him dead in his tracks and turned to make for the ballroom door.

He was nothing but a silly old fool.  The harsh, humid air of the Georgia night did nothing to soothe him, it just made it harder to take a deep breath.  How on God’s green earth did he ever think he could land a man like Harper Brooks, even for one night? He was too old for this dating bullshit. He would go back to Atlanta and spend time with his grandbabies, those sweet kids always made him feel better. He hit the button on his key fob to pop his trunk open and started stowing his gear.

“Hey, where’s the fire?” A voice panted from behind him.

Atty turned around fast, banging his tripod against the side of the trunk. It was Harper. He was panting from his sprint across the parking lot and looked even more devastatingly handsome by moonlight. “What are you doing here?” He muttered and stowed the tripod in his trunk. “Thought you’d still be inside chatting up what’s his name.”

Harper frowned for a moment before a huge grin broke out across his face. “I never figured you for the jealous type, Atty.”

“Get bent, Harper.” Atty felt a moment of triumph, turning Harper’s opening line back against him.

“Good one, I’ll have to remember that.” Harper kept that “cat who ate the canary” grin plastered to his face.

Atty could hear strains of Tennessee Waltz from the ballroom. He loved that old song. He pocketed his keys and turned to face Harper who was still smiling at him. “What?”

“Can I have this dance?” He held his hand out to Atty.

“Shouldn’t you be inside dancing with what’s his face?” Atty hated the sour tone in his voice. It wasn’t in his nature to be jealous but he also felt foolish. He had been out of the dating game far too long and had bitten off more than he could chew his first time out of the gate with a man who was clearly out of his league.

“I’m asking the man I want to dance with to dance with me.” Harper said plainly. “Dance with me, Atty.”

Atty nodded and let Harper pull him into his arms. He gave into temptation and reached up to run his fingers through Harper’s dark hair. He heard Harper hum against his ear and felt him pull them closer together.

“His name is Dean and he’s Random Aunt Number Four’s son. He’s off to study journalism at Northeastern in Boston in the fall and he was asking if I had any pointers for him.” Harp whispered.

Atty pulled back a bit to look at Harper, who was still smiling at him. He searched his eyes for signs of deceit and only seeing genuine warmth, started to relax. “What did you tell him?”

“Don’t get old.” He huffed out a harsh laugh. Atty had a feeling had the young man asked forty-eight hours ago, the answer he got would have been much different, filed with platitudes about hard work and enjoying every moment.

“Don’t I know it.” Atty murmured. He wasn’t that old, only fifty-five, but becoming a widower at only fifty had made him feel old. He wasn’t supposed to have been alone at that stage of his life and had been too grief-stricken to try to recapture his lost youth.

“What are you talking about? You can go on lawyering and taking society wedding pictures until you’re ninety. I’m the one who’s been grounded like an outdated airplane.”

“There’s nothing outdated about you, Harp. I’m the one out practice and out of my depth here.” He thought about the easy way Jim and Leo were with each other. They teased each other mercilessly and laughed constantly. They shared jokes and long slow kisses. Atty wanted that too, the easiness of an established relationship, rather than these awkward fumbling first steps in the moonlit parking lot.

“It’s flattering you think I could land someone as young as Dean.” He grinned and pulled Atty closer. “I couldn’t tell you were out of practice.” He whispered into Atty’s ear. It felt good to be held like this, Atty’s arms wrapped around his waist, chests together, cheek to cheek, unable to tell where one man started and the other one ended.

Atticus smiled against the side of Harp’s neck. He was an idiot. Here he was, dancing in the moonlight with a gorgeous man and he was still feeling sorry for himself. He let his lips ghost against the soft skin of Harper’s neck, the spicy smell of his aftershave tickling his nose.

Harper loved the feel of Atty’s feather-light kisses against the side of his neck. It felt glorious to be kissed by a handsome man under the moonlight. He pulled back from Atty a bit and watched the way the moonlight danced in his steely blue eyes before pressing forward to kiss Atty’s lips. They were soft and warm beneath his own. He slid his hand from Atty’s salt and pepper hair to cup the side of his face as they continued to kiss each other. Warmth pooled in the pit of his stomach and spiraled lower, his cock twitched as it started to wake up. Running on pure instinct, he canted his hips forward and found Atty in a similar state; aroused by their kisses.

It felt like Christmas and the Fourth of July all rolled into one. There was a sweetness in Harper’s kiss that ignited a red-hot fire sending sparks of awareness through his body which was tingling in places that hadn’t tingled in years. He felt Harper’s lips curl into a smile against his and before he knew it, felt his lips curling into a smile of his own. Atty hummed in appreciation when Harper started kissing down the column of his neck. He ran his hands over Harp’s wrinkled back and smiled when he felt the warm silk of Harper’s bowtie brush against his neck. “Why do you wear a bowtie?”

“Bowties are cool.” His British accent was surprisingly spot on.

“On Matt Smith they look cool on you…” Atty felt another shiver of awareness zing through his body. There were so many sexy things that adorable bowtie could be used for, chief among them as a restraint or an impromptu gag.  His cock twitched against Harper’s hip as he pictured him on his hands and knees in the center of his hotel bed, balls deep, the bowtie keeping the rest of the hotel guests from hearing Harper take it like a good boy.

“On me, what?” He felt Atty’s cock jump against his hip and longed to stroke him through his pants, but this was fun. The teasing and flirting were all building up to something and Harper was content, for now, to see where things would go on their own.

“On you they’re provocative.” Atty said, his voice thick with desire. He wanted to reach forward and untie the jaunty bow with his teeth.

“Don’t bullshit me, Atty.”

“Suit yourself, Harp.” Atty grinned, his hips rolling to gently thrust his pants-clad erection against Harper to prove his point.  “But I never wanted to bend Matt Smith over the head table at a wedding reception.”

Harp barked out a quick laugh then shivered as the mental image of him bent over that table played through his mind.

“Just saying. Hey, where are you staying tonight?” He’d had enough of dancing in the parking lot. It was time to make his move. He wanted to take Harper back to the Bohemian with him and spend the rest of the night getting to know him better, preferably with both of them naked.

“I’m not staying anywhere. I figured to be out of here long before now and on my way back to Atlanta.” It has seemed a no-brainer at the time, leave five hours before the ceremony was set to start and head back home after the first dance. He should have been out of there and stopping for a cheeseburger at _Steak and Shake_ by 6pm at the latest. Atty blew that plan out of the water and he’d known hours ago, he was going to need to find a room for the night.

“It’s 9pm.” He didn’t like the idea of Harp driving back to Atlanta this late, especially when he had a bed big enough for both of them, even if Harper wasn’t in the mood to play naked Twister.

“Just because its past your bedtime, doesn’t mean it’s past mine, old timer.” Harper teased.

“Old timer, huh?” Atty pushed Harper back against the side of his car and kissed him for all he was worth. Both men moaned out loud when their tongues brushed tentatively against each other. Atty pulled him closer, and deepened the kiss, his tongue exploring and memorizing the way Harper tasted. Atty pulled back when it felt like his lungs had run out of oxygen.

“Damn.” Harp muttered, fighting to catch his own breath. His heart was beating a fast and furious tattoo in his chest. No one had done this to him in ages. He needed more.

“Got a king-size bed back at the Bohemian Hotel, I wouldn’t mind sharing with you.” Atty cupped Harper’s face in his hands, needing to see his reaction for himself. He wanted nothing more than to curl up in that big bed with this gorgeous man and chase the sunrise with their kisses.

“I’m not that kind of a girl.” Harper teased. But he was, he definitely was that kind of girl. He had only known Atty for fifteen minutes and he was already fantasizing about spending the night wrapped up in each other.

“You’re virtue is safe with me, Princess. I just don’t like the idea of you starting a four hour ride now. You wouldn’t get home until after 1am.”

“Does that offer come with a shower? I’m a mess.” He could still smell the remnants of his leftover Hawaiian Punch and his left hip was a bit sticky. Plus it had been a bitch of a day; fighting his attraction to Atticus and his lousy wedding assignment.

“Sure it does.  Why don’t you grab your overnight bag and I’ll drive us back to my hotel. Your car will be safe enough here overnight and I’ll drop you off here after brunch tomorrow.”

“You’re looking at what I brought with me for clothes. I just need to grab my laptop bag out of the car.” _Brunch?_ Interesting, Atty was planning past their night together _._ Warmth burst across his chest, Atty didn’t only want him for tonight.

“Well that explains the wrinkled shirt.” Atty laughed at the outraged look on Harper’s face.

He ran quickly over to his car, parked only a few spots away and grabbed his laptop bag. He didn’t even have a toothbrush with him. They’d have to stop on the way to Atty’s hotel so he could buy a few things for the morning and condoms and lube for tonight.

 When Harper came back from his car, he walked him around to the passenger side of his Mercedes, stopping to steal one last open-mouthed kiss before Harp slid into the passenger seat.

[](http://postimage.org/)   
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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Atticus and Harper both came to me out of the blue. They are not canon, but you fell in love with them all the same. I cannot imagine a greater compliment as a writer than to have all of the original characters from the Georgia On My Mind universe to not only be accepted, but also loved. 
> 
> When I started writing Atty, I wanted him to be a father figure to Jim and Bones. It never occurred to me to base him on someone, until GoWashTheLights suggested that his relationship with the boys reminded her of what would have happened with Christopher Pike, had he survived Khan. Now that I had a face to go with the character, I needed to know who Harper was IRL. So I went back to GWTL and asked her who she thought he should be. She came back moments later with Patrick Dempsey and I knew I’d found my Harper. 
> 
> My lovely friend, GoWashTheLights wrote to me when the first chapter of Georgia On My Mind to include Harper was published. She wanted to hear Atty and Harper’s story. To be honest, I was in the middle of writing Just Say Yes, which was scheduled to begin publishing on Memorial Day Monday. (Psst, go check it out!) I was and still am working a ton of hours and trying to keep a week or two ahead with Georgia On My Mind. As these things usually go, Atty and Harper wouldn’t let this idea die. They wanted to tell their story so I sat down to type a few notes and before I knew it, I had written 5K words and wasn’t even finished with the wedding yet. I can't thank you enough for this plot tribble!!! I also cannot ever thank you enough for the original art for this story!!!!
> 
> Many thanks to Corrie71 who designed the cover for this story and fell in love with these two crazy boys!
> 
> We see a couple of familiar faces here, with Scotty and Uhura showing up as Harper's rivals. I haven't written John Kennex in ages, it was good to see him again. Can you imagine him as a hard as nails newspaper man?
> 
> You’re going to see more of this story tomorrow and the rest of it on Tuesday. When I say the rest of it, I mean this story will “end” with Atty telling Harp he's been invited to a barbecue at Kirk-McCoys which we see in chapter 58 of Georgia On My Mind.
> 
> “You’re queen is showing.” Is a phrase a gay coworker of mine uses when another gay coworker gets upset. He get’s huffy and his voice rises an octave. It cracked me up the first time he said this to me and I knew I had to find a place for it in a fic.
> 
> “Bowties are cool.” Is a famous Matt Smith line from Doctor Who. I love the idea of Harper wearing bowties.
> 
> Thank you all so much for reading a McKirk inspired story that Jim and Bones never appear in! Much love to you all!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys strike a bargain and Atty takes Harper back to his hotel room...

Once they were settled in the car Harper leaned over to grab Atty’s right hand. “I’ve got a confession to make.” He said shyly.

“You are that kind of girl, I knew it. YES!” Atty burst out laughing and squeezed Harper’s hand when he joined in.

“I didn’t take any notes at the wedding today.” It was the first time in his professional career that he had blown an assignment. He couldn’t even remember which Peach Baron matched up to the bride and which to the groom.

“You, what? I saw you writing all day, or were you drawing other members of the wedding party as primates?” _Oh Harp, this must be some story._ Atty had been reading his columns for decades and never once could he remember shoddy writing or incorrect facts in a column with Harper’s byline.

“If I buy you dinner tonight, will you let me watch your copy of the wedding video?” He crossed the fingers of his free hand, hoping Atty would help him out professionally. Reporters and photographers didn’t often get along, artistic differences and all that malarkey. He was hoping Atty would be the exception to the rule.

Atty glanced over at Harper and saw him batting his beautiful blue eyes. The interior of the car was dark, but his eyes were shining like twin sapphires.  “Those eyes must get you damn near anything, huh?”

“Well…” Harper shrugged. It was true, his baby blues were often his greatest asset, but he wasn’t using them now to get his hands on Atty’s tape, he was using them to get his hands on Atty.

“I’ll say yes under one condition.” Actually he had several “conditions” that came instantly to mind but only one of them was fit to say out loud to a virtual stranger. Once they knew each other better, all bets were off so to speak. Atty wasn’t above accepting sex as payment for services rendered to a lover in need. Harper wasn’t a lover…yet, but he certainly was in need.

Harper smirked at Atticus in the dark. “Name it, I give pretty amazing road head.”He slid his left hand tantalizingly close to the top of Atty’s right thigh.  If the bulge that had been digging into his hip earlier was any indication, he was going to enjoy paying Atty’s _stiff_ fine for not doing his job properly.

“That wasn’t the condition I had in mind.” It absolutely was one of the conditions he had in mind. His pants got even tighter as he imagined Harper’s sweet mouth bobbing up and down on his cock.  “Although count on us talking about your road head skills later on. The other thing we’re going to discuss over dinner is how you ended up at this wedding _not_ taking notes to begin with, deal?”

“Deal.” It wasn’t going to be as enjoyable as giving Atty road head, but Harper could live with the bargain he struck.

XX

There was a good sized crowd at _Rocks On The Roof_ , the Bohemian Hotel’s rooftop restaurant. A live jazz band was playing and several couples were gently swaying to the music, an appetizer of what was to come later, Atty was sure. He spoke with the hostess and was told a table would be ready for them in about ten minutes. He turned around to tell Harper, but he was across the restaurant looking out over the nighttime view of the Savannah River.

“Gorgeous, isn’t it?” Harper asked when Atty joined him. He pulled out his phone and snapped a couple of selfies of them together. He kissed Atty in the last one and made a mental note to send them to Atty later, he wasn’t the only one who could snap a good picture.

It certainly was a gorgeous sight; a smiling Harp, his eyes glittering, lips swollen from Atty’s kisses, his smile as bright as a full moon against the backdrop of a million twinkling stars burning brightly overhead. “Sure is.”He agreed turning his gaze away from Harper to look out at the scenery. “Two friends of mine got engaged here a few months back.”

Harper thought about the wedding photo he’d seen on Google earlier that day. “The blonde and the brunette?” Harper laughed when a confused look crossed Atty’s face. “I Googled you earlier in the day when I all I knew about you was that you spent your mornings in bed with me and liked to snap candid pictures when you thought I wasn’t looking. I saw a wedding picture with two men and their kids. You looked like a proud father.”

Atty nodded and pulled out his phone to share his pictures of Jim, Leo and the kids with Harper. “I met them just after Jim proposed. I had my camera with me and just started shooting pictures of them when I saw Jim getting ready to propose. After that we all became fast friends.”

“Oh, so you have a history of taking pictures of people without their prior consent?” Harper giggled. He enjoyed teasing Atty about his habit of taking candid shots. He wondered if Atty would show him the pictures he had taken of him during the wedding. He wondered how many of them would be of him frowning.

“I told you, I take pictures of things that appeal to me. And my boys were thrilled to death to have pictures of their special day.”

“I bet they were, do you spend much time with them?”

“The live just outside of Atlanta, about twenty minutes away from my house. Leo is an ER doc and Jim is a stay at home father and room mother at the kids’ school. The kids call me Granpa Atty.” He scrolled through his phone to pictures of the kids cuddled on his lap. “Two of the kids are Jim and Leo’s biologically from previous relationships. They adopted little Juliet in January and Missy’s adoption is pending.  I love them as if they were my own.”

Harper loved the happy family vibe he got from the pictures Atty showed him. The kids were sweet and looked at Atty like he’d hung the moon. Harper could empathize, he had been feeling the same way since Atty kissed him earlier. “They are super cute.”

“They are adorable, and so are you.” Atty leaned forward for a kiss that ended when the hostess called his name for a table.

“I’m not adorable.” Harper blushed, thrilled to death Atty found him attractive.

 XX

When they were finished eating dinner, shrimp and grits for Atty and Chilean sea bass for Harper, Atty linked their hands together. He wanted Harper to feel comfortable enough with him to tell him why he had been assigned to cover a wedding without him having to pry the answer out of him.

“My editor thinks I’m too old to go globetrotting anymore.” Harper said quietly, not making eye contact with Atticus. His career meant everything to him. It wasn’t easy saying the words to himself, nevermind to someone he was just getting to know. He had dealt with young and hungry reporters trying to muscle him out of his byline in the past and he’d always come out on top. This felt different though, from the way Kennex had refused to even discuss this assignment to the way the younger reporters had laughed at him. It felt like goodbye.

“Did he tell you that in those exact words?” Atty felt the attorney in him coming out. Employers were forbidden from firing or demoting employees based on age. It didn’t mean that it didn’t happen every day in the United States under the cover of another excuse, but Atty almost hoped for a moment that the editor of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution had been foolish enough to phrase it in those terms.

 “He didn’t say those exact words.” Harper huffed out a bitter laugh, “I can see where your thoughts are headed.” The only thing worse than being let go from the paper for being too old would be suing the AJC for age discrimination. He wasn’t in the mood to deal with the publicity that kind of a suit would bring. “He didn’t say anything about being too old, but the writing is on the wall. He’s sending the younger, hungrier reporters off after the big stories. I didn’t really notice it at first, you know?” Harp ducked his head, too embarrassed to look his new friend in the face.

Atty would bet the house that a younger reporter had waltzed in and stolen the assignment that ordinarily would have gone to Harper. It was the way of things in highly competitive jobs. He was used to dealing with young kids fresh out of college with drive and ambition who are out to make a name for themselves, people who are determined to make partner or win a Pulitzer at any cost. It was one of the reasons he left the large law firm in Atlanta he’d been with since he passed the bar back in 1984 and started his own small practice in the ‘burbs. He was sick of running the rat race and fighting a losing battle against time. “I understand what you’re going through, I went through something similar back at my old firm. How did this start?”

“My editor sent a young kid off to cover the terrorist attacks in Paris back in January, with the excuse that I’d been on a lot of big assignment’s lately and he needed to throw the kid a bone or he’d lose him to a rival news outlet. Now that kid is off to cover ISIS recruiting tactics in Syria and here I am covering the wedding of two spoiled kids.”

“It seems to me like you got the better end of the deal, Harp.” Atty winked and brushed a kiss against the back of his hand. He hated the thought of Harper in harm’s way, not that he’d ever say that out loud.

“Maybe so.” Harper agreed. He wouldn’t trade meeting Atty for anything, but that didn’t change the situation with his career. He wasn’t nearly young enough to retire, but he couldn’t see spending the next fifteen years or so as the laughingstock of the newsroom.  Maybe it was time to move on, it wouldn’t hurt to send a resume to the news director at CNN or to the news talk radio stations in the metro Atlanta market.

“So that’s why you were passive-agressively doodling in your notebook instead of taking notes?” Atty asked quietly. In Harper’s place, he would have been taking pictures of the bride’s shoes or the ceiling in retaliation for being give a dog of an assignment.

Harper fished his notebook out of his pocket and handed it to Atty. “I’ve never shown one of these to another living soul, but since you’ve seen a page already…” He shrugged and watched as Atty started flipping through the book. A journalist’s notebook was guarded with the ferocity of Fort Knox. Contact information for sources and the sensitive information they passed on was written down in those pages. Most reporters used some bastardized version of shorthand that only they could decipher, but Harp hadn’t gone that route with this new notebook. He simply didn’t give a damn if anyone scooped him on the details of the wedding, which, if he thought about it, spoke volumes about his attitude when it came to his career with the paper.

Atty opened the book and started reading the brief notes Harp had written down. “Bride looks like an unkempt gorilla, should have shaved her arms. Had a Saint Bernard who bears a striking resemblance to the groom: floppy jowled and drooling.” Atty was laughing too hard by the end to keep reading aloud. There were helpful illustrations of each member of the bridal party, dressed in their wedding finery. The gorilla bride hadn’t been the only one who looked better than the real person. “You could have had a career as a cartoonist.” Atty observed, closing the book and handing it back to Harper.

“I can deal with getting older you know. I just never expected to go out like this.” He sunk his head in his hands and jumped slightly when Atty’s hand started rubbing the back of his neck.

“Like what?” Harper hated asking the question. He knew how Harp felt, unappreciated and old. The reason he was asking the question to was to get Harper to examine his feelings in regard to the situation.

“Like someone who’s stayed too long at the ball.” He pictured himself as a Cinderella of sorts once the pumpkin spell had been broken, his smart suit in tatters, his feet bare as the younger reporters continued to dance in their perfect suits.

“Harper, you’re what, forty-five years old? You’re hardly over the hill.” He wasn’t over the hill by any stretch of the imagination but he did look tired and frustrated and those things could combine to make a man feel older than his years.

“In the news business, I am, and it’s forty-nine.” He kissed Atty’s hand for the compliment.

“So get out of it then.”  Atty gave him a wide smile and winked at him over the rim of his glass.

“What, just like that?” The Atlanta Journal-Constitution had been his home for the last three decades. He’d made life-long friends there and for the first time in his life, had felt like he was part of a family.

“Yeah, just like that. This doesn’t have to be the end. It could be the beginning.” Atty was hoping it was the beginning of something between them personally and professionally, but wasn’t sure how Harper would respond to his idea. They barely knew each other and Harper wasn’t about to chuck in a thirty year career for a man he’d known know for less than a day.

“Why do I think you have a cunning plan?” Harper smiled, wanting to be in on Atty’s plan. He would need to think long and hard about what Atticus was about to propose. He couldn’t jump at something because he was angry at his boss and with the assignment he’d been given.

“Because I do. I do freelance photography work for Savannah Magazine. They send me to weddings and other things happening around town, art shows and galas, charity events and the like. I take the pictures and some hack writes up the stories based on my images frozen in time. I’ve always wanted a partner, someone who could bring my pics to life with their words, so the reader actually feels like they were standing next to me at these events.”

“So you’re asking me if I’ll be your Sonny?” Harper laughed at the mental image of fur vests and bellbottomed pants.

“No, I’m asking you to be my Cher.” Atty raised his glass in silent toast, laughing along with his new friend.

Harper laughed harder at the thought of a long dark wig and that crazy thing Cher does with her tongue when she sings. “We’ve known each other for less than twelve hours and for most of that time I hated you. Why would you do this for me?” Harper asked once he had stopped laughing at the thought of him in platform heels.

“You didn’t hate me, you were wildly attracted to me and understandably so. You hated the reason you were in Savannah.” Atty loved the flirty play between them, but at the same time, wanted Harper to know his offer was genuine. He needed a professional partner who would enjoy going with him to cover events in Savannah, someone who would enjoy interviewing interesting people and whose words would make readers put down their magazine and come to Savannah. What he wanted a personal partner who would be there for him and love him, but first things first.

“Fair enough, but you didn’t answer my question.” He had been wildly attracted to Atty. His cock was living proof; it had been half hard and demanding attention all afternoon. Harp wondered if that attraction was clouding his judgment now. Was he letting his long-neglected dick push him toward a decision that would affect the rest of his life?

 “I’m making you this offer because I can’t picture my life without you in it.” Atty’s face turned to shock, then horror. He couldn’t believe he’d just said that out loud. He shut up, embarrassed. He’d overplayed his hand and his bravado was going to cost him. Atty didn’t know if it was too much booze or an overload of daring that caused him to say exactly what he was feeling. He couldn’t explain how this happened or why, but he didn’t want to take another step unless Harper was beside him.

Harper sat for a moment, a thoughtful look on his face. He pulled their joined hands to his lips and dropped a fairy-light kiss against the back of Atty’s hand. He could almost feel the earth tilt on its axis as his life shifted and changed in that moment. “I can’t imagine my life without you either.” It was too soon, much too soon to feel like this, but if Atticus could be brave enough to say exactly how he felt then Harper would follow his lead.

Atty sagged with relief which he tried to hide from Harper. He didn’t know what he would have done if Harper had gotten up and walked away or had looked at him like he was crazy. “Just know one thing, gorillas dressed as the bride aren’t going to cut it if you’re working with me, are we clear?”

“Crystal.” Harper pulled his worn leather wallet from his back pocket and dropped a hundred on the table, before he tugged Atty off his stool and guided him toward the elevator.

XX

The walk back to Atty’s room took almost half an hour. Harper began kissing him the minute the elevator doors shut and didn’t stop kissing him until the room door was shut and locked behind them.  “I want that shower you promised me, but don’t want to stop kissing you long enough to take one.” Harper grinned against Atty’s lips before kissing him again.

“No reason we can’t conserve a little water and shower together.” Atty tugged Harper’s wrinkled shirt out of his pants and slipped his hand under to glide up the plane of his flat, furry stomach.

“I like the way you think.” Harper panted, going for the top button of Atty’s pants.  He undid the zipper and shoved down his pants as far as he could reach without pulling his lips away from Atty. His cock was hot and ready for him when his slipped his hands over the large bulge in Atty’s boxers.

“Fuck, Harp, gonna need more of that. Too bad all we can do is blow each other. I didn’t bring lube or protection with me.” Not that sucking Harp’s cock wasn’t a thrilling proposition, but he would rather be pounding Harper’s sweet ass.

“You know that stop at the drugstore you didn’t want to make, insisting I could share your toothbrush? Well you’re gonna be tickled pink that you stopped. Along with a new toothbrush and deodorant, I got condoms and lube. Not that I’m not gonna take you up on that offer to blow me once we get into the shower.” He stepped back and hauled his wrinkled shirt and pinkish undershirt over his head.

Atticus laughed. He hadn’t wanted to stop at the drug store, he had just wanted to get Harper back to the hotel before he changed his mind. He was sure the hotel could provide a toothbrush if Harper needed one so badly, now he was thanking his lucky stars he’d listened to Harper. “Strip off the rest of the way so I can send your clothes down to the laundry so you can at least drive home tomorrow in clean underwear and shirt that isn’t pink from fruit punch.”

Harper shook his head no and stepped back up to Atticus, running his hands through the salt and pepper fur of his belly. “I don’t want to take off my pants.” Harper said softly, ducking his head down to suck a bruise into the tender skin at the hollow of Atty’s neck.

“You don’t, huh?” Atty whispered back. He figured Harper wanted him to do it for him, but didn’t want to spoil the fun by guessing so quickly. “Guess you’re gonna wash your own pants in the shower. Steam might help to get out the rest of the wrinkles too, I suppose.”

“Not gonna shower with my pants on Atty.” Harper reached forward and pulled Atty’s hands to rest on his hips in a silent invitation to undress him.

“Oh, I see. You need a little help, do you?” Atty undid the button and slid the zipper down, palming Harper’s rock-hard erection over his pants.

“I can’t touch you and take my pants off at the same time, now can I?” Harper’s hands were busy rubbing the globes of Atty’s firm ass and pulling them as close together as possible.

“Clever boy.” Atty murmured sinking to his knees and taking Harp’s pants down with him. He stopped briefly to tug the material over Harper’s feet before looking up at all the creamy skin now laid bare before him. He wanted nothing more that to dive onto Harper’s dick and swallow him whole, but instead slowly regained his feet as his hands walked up Harpers body. His skin was hot beneath his hands. “Get in the shower.” Atty brushed his lips against Harp’s. “I’ll be there in a minute.”

“Better hurry, don’t want me using up all the hot water.” Harper kissed him back before walking into the bathroom.

Atty bundled up Harper’s clothes into the bag provided on the back of the hotel room door and called the laundry room.  He stripped out of the rest of his clothes and gave his cock a few slow strokes. He was ready at last to give himself to a new lover.

XX

The hot water blasted his tired body from all directions. Harper hoped Atticus would hurry up, being in the huge shower stall alone with his dick in his hand was no fun. He gave himself a few slow strokes, though only the good lord knew why. His cock had been half hard most of the day thanks to Atty and his sexy winks. It had been fully hard since they had started dancing in the parking lot and showed no sign of flagging.

“I see you found a way to entertain yourself without me.” Atty snorted when he saw Harper slowly fisting his erection.

“Oh hey, what’s your name again? You’ve been gone so long I forgot who you were.” Harp teased, reaching for Atticus as soon as he stepped into the shower.

“Funny.” Atty muttered, his lips hot against Harper’s neck, slowly sliding down his chest. He sucked a bruise over Harp’s pounding heart. “Mine.” He whispered, his own heart beating a bit faster when Harper shuddered under his touch.

“I was just thinking the same thing about you.” Harper fingered the similar bruise he’d left on Atty before reaching for the complimentary bottle of shampoo the hotel had provided. “It smells like fricken peaches.” Harper burst out laughing and started to massage the peachy concoction into Atty’s hair.

“What else would it smell like on a day like today?” Atty had stayed at the Bohemian at least twice a month over the last five years and this was the first time he had ever noticed the shampoo smelling like peaches. He felt like Harper had breathed new life into him and he was truly seeing things for the first time with new eyes. The stars had seemed brighter over the Savannah River tonight during dinner, the flavors of his shrimp and grits exploded in his mouth even though he had eaten that meal a dozen times before. All of this was thanks to the magic of knowing Harper.

“Earth to Atticus.” Harper giggled. He had been trying to get his attention for the last few minutes and Atty seemed lost in thought.

“Hmm, sorry. I was just thinking.” Atty brushed his lips against Harper’s throat.

“About what?” Harper cupped his face, tilting it up so Atty would meet his eyes.

“How everything feels brand new with you.” He blushed at feeling so whimsical, but knew now Harper wouldn’t mind or be scared off by his feelings.

“I know one thing that is brand new.” Harper said, his voice low. His fingers brushed against Atty’s hard cock before they wrapped around his length and started stroking. He was hard and thick and Harper could feel the slippery pre-come leaking from his slit.

“Fuck, Harp.” Atty relaxed back against the shower wall and let Harper’s magical hand jack him off.

“You like that? Well you’re going to like this a lot more.” Harper sunk to his knees and started planting kisses along Atty’s shaft.  When he worked his way back up to the head, he licked out at it like an ice cream cone.

“Harp, please.” Atty begged, needing to bury himself inside Harper’s hot mouth.

Harper winked up at him and slid his lips over the head of Atty’s cock, taking more and more of him into his mouth until he felt Atty’s nest of hair against his nose.  He could hear Atticus moaning his name and felt his fingers slip into his wet hair. Harper gagged when Atty hips hitched forward. He moaned deep in his throat encouraging Atty to keep going.

This was heaven, Harper’s hot mouth surrounding his cock, his clever tongue stroking up his length. As nice as this was, it wasn’t enough. His base instincts took over and he rolled his hips, pushing himself deeper into Harper’s plush mouth. Harper’s moan and quick wink lit a fire inside him, he tightened his hands on Harp’s head and started to thrust deeper into his mouth. He knew it was going to be a hard and fast ride so he gave himself over to the pleasure and let it sweep him away. He cried out for Harper when he felt his cock spasm with his release. 

Harper rode it out with him swallowing every drop. When the last spasm of Atty’s release passed, he gently released him from his mouth and started planting kisses up his left side, stopping to kiss the spot right over Atty’s heart. “Let’s get you dried off, so you can return the favor.” Harper said softly, fascinated with the wonder and need he could see unmasked in Atty’s eyes.  He reached to turn off the taps while Atty grabbed white fluffy towels for them both.

XX

“Why aren’t you married?” Harper asked, cuddling deeper into Atty’s side. After the shower they had dried off and crawled into bed. They had wrapped themselves up in each other and lay quietly together kissing and touching whatever skin they could reach.

Atty had a feeling this question was coming sooner or later. He hadn’t prepared for it to be sooner.  “I was involved with someone for twenty-seven years. I met Jefferson Baxter at wedding I was shooting as a favor to my mother. I was lining up a shot and took a step backward and tripped over him.” Atty held Harper a bit closer and kissed into his damp hair. “Back when we got together in the mid 1980s there was no such thing as gay marriage, hell it was still illegal in some places for African Americans to marry Caucasians back then. He asked me to spend my life with him and gave me a ring to wear, but we never made it official.”

“What happened to him, Atticus?” Harper levered himself up on his left elbow so he could look at Atty as he told the story. He had a bad feeling about this, twenty-seven years was a long time to spend together and he didn’t get the feeling they had broken up.

“Pancreatic cancer took him from me five years ago.” He said simply and waited for the flood of grief to hit him full-force. It didn’t. Instead, talking about his Jefferson gave him a warm feeling all over. It felt good to be able to share him with Harper without dissolving into a weeping puddle of goo.

“Atty, I’m so sorry you lost him.” Harper reached out to cup Atty’s face with his right hand.

“We had a lot of good years together. You know it’s funny how the world works, I had decided just this morning to get back into the dating game and then two hours later, there you were, wrinkled and smelling like fruit punch.”

“You’ve been alone since he passed on?” Five years was a long time to be celibate, without the touch of another man. He had been through longish periods of celibacy himself that were driven by his not wanting to be beheaded for sodomy in Middle Eastern countries while he’d been on assignment in that part of the world, but he couldn’t imagine voluntarily taking sex out of the equation when a punishment as severe as death wasn’t looming overhead.

Atty nodded and tugged Harper back down to lie on his chest. He hadn’t really thought much about sex in the last few years, sure he spent plenty of time with Mary palm and her five sisters, but hooking up with someone else hadn’t been on his radar until today.

“I’m honored you chose me to be your first lover since you lost him.” He was honored and also turned on beyond belief. If Atty hadn’t been with anyone else in that long he was likely to be a wild animal, like a tiger that had been zoo-fed for years finally able to savor the taste of a fresh kill.

Atty grinned. “Who said I want you to be my first lover?”

Well, you’re cock’s digging into my hip, figured that was a pretty good sign you were ready to make me yours.” Harper shivered, he felt like he had up in the restaurant where the Earth shifted on its axis and he felt his life change.

“Oh is that how it’s going down?” He wanted nothing more than to make Harper his, to fuck him hard and long until they both lost their breath and exploded together, heartbeats racing in sync with each other.

“Yeah and speaking of going down, you owe me, Atty. You promised to blow me and yet I remain unblown.”  Harper rolled his hips a bit, poking Atty’s belly with his erection.

“Is “unblown” even a word?” He reached down to stroke and pet Harper’s cock.

“Trust me, I’m a journalist.” He reached forward to kiss Atty again, rubbing their lips together until Atty opened up for him, his tongue invading his mouth quickly mating with Atty’s.

Atty pulled away and pushed the covers down his naked hips and rolled a willing Harper onto his back. He pressed a kiss against the mark he’d left earlier on Harper’s heart. “Mine.” Atty whispered before kissing and licking his way down to Harper’s drooling cock. It was magnificent, about eight inches with a slight bend to the right.  He licked a quick stripe up from Harper’s balls to the tip of his cock and made quick work of the drooling pre-come. “Why am I not surprised you taste fruity.”

“Maybe next time you won’t knock Hawaiian Punch.” He hadn’t known sweet tasting come was a side effect of his fruity drink, just one more reason to keep drinking it.

“If this is how it makes you taste, I’ll buy you cases of it.” Atty winked and wrapped his lips around Harper’s girth, bobbing his head to get his cock nice and wet. He worked his left hand up Harp’s belly and chest to rub his index finger against Harper’s lips.

Harper opened his mouth and sucked on Atty’s finger, mimicking the motions and tongue movements Atty was using on his cock. He opened his lips when he felt Atty pulling back. Harper knew where his now wet finger was going and arched his back when he felt it brush across his pucker. He sighed in contentment when he felt Atty’s finger wiggle inside him.

“That’s it, Harp. Open up for me.” Atty whispered, popping off Harper’s wet cock. He watched in fascination as his finger disappeared inside Harper’s passage. He felt the bump of Harper’s prostate and rubbed his finger against it. Harper gasped as wiggled his ass against Atty’s finger. One finger became two and when Harper started wiggling again, two became three.  

“Dammit, Atty, enough. I need you to fuck me now.” Harper panted, crazy with need. Atty had stopped sucking his cock in concert with fingering him and he was in dire need of some friction. He reached for his cock and gave it a few slow tugs before Atty knocked his hand away.

“Let me take care of you, Harp.” Atty slapped a messy kiss against Harper’s furry belly and gently pulled his fingers back from Harper’s ass. He hopped up from the bed and started across the room, when Harper’s whine stopped him in his tracks.

“No, wait, where are you going?” Harper pleaded from the bed. “You just said you were going to take care of me, now you’re leaving?”

“You’re so anxious to feel my hot cock inside you, huh?” Atty teased. He grabbed the condoms and lube out of Harp’s drugstore bag and came back to the bed, holding them up for him to see. “Look at you, so crazy with need you forgot about these.”

“Hurry up.” Harper whispered, he had started slowly fisting his cock with one hand, while using the fingers from his other hand to fuck into his ass.

“So turned on and needy.” He drizzled some lube onto the fingers he was using to work his ass. “Show me how you touch yourself when you’re alone.” Atty drizzled more lube on Harper’s cock and sat back and watched as his hands moved slowly over and into his own body. Harper’s right hand was shaking as he stroked his cock, his thumb flipping up over the head on every third or fourth stroke. The tiny whines Harper was making told Atty he had found his prostate and was rubbing against it, wringing every ounce of pleasure he could out of his own body.

“Atty, PLEASE.” Harper begged, voice cracking when one finger grazed hard across his prostate.

He was mesmerized watching Harper pleasure himself and could have watched him for hours, his own pleasure forgotten. “Okay, Harp, just hold on a minute more for me.” Atty ripped open the foil condom packet and rolled it over his length. He slicked himself up with more lube and gently pulled Harp’s fingers back from his reddened hole. He lined himself up with the gaping hole and started to push forward, moaning with the resistance his cock met. “Mine.” He whispered, his right hand coming to rest against Harper’s heart.

Harper raised his hand up to Atty’s chest. “Mine.” His voice was wrecked with need. He breathed through the stretch and burn of Atty’s cock breaching his body. It was hot and felt huge as it pushed deeper within him. It had been so long since he’d felt like this; whole and complete. It wasn’t just that he was making love with a handsome man, it was because that handsome man was Atticus.

Atty slowly pushed forward until he bottomed out, his balls sliding against Harper’s. He bent down to kiss Harper, their tongues quickly came together, slowly rubbing and loving each other. Atty felt Harp wrap his legs around his back and his cock slipped in that much deeper. “Fuck, Harp. So tight, so hot, all mine.” He pulled back and almost out of Harper’s body, hissing as Harp’s short nails bit into the skin of his shoulders as he tried to keep Atty as close as possible. His hips rolled forward, seeking to find the perfect rhythm that would bring them the most pleasure.

“Harder.” Harp urged. He was enjoying the slow, easy way Atty was loving him as his body got used to Atty’s invasion, but he needed more, he needed hard and he needed fast. He watched as Atty’s eyes darkened almost to black and braced himself for harder.

Atty pulled back and brought Harp’s legs up and over his shoulders, almost rolling the other man in half. He thrust back inside and when Harp moaned his approval, set a brutal pace which had each man reduced to grunts and moans as their release swiftly approached.

“Close.” Harper managed to grit out.

Atty pulled one hand off the bed where he’d been using it to brace his own weight above Harper, to jack off his drooling cock. He was close too and wished he could feel his come splatter inside Harp’s body, but that would come in time. “Harp.” Atty whispered when his cock started jerking in release.

Harper whined through his orgasm, his eyes locked on to Atty’s. He could feel his cock jerking inside him and knew he was coming too. His own come was splashed over his belly and chest and Atty was gently removing his legs from his shoulders before he pulled out and hopped off the bed to dispose of the used condom. He felt the warm wetness of a face cloth cleaning up his own release, before moving lower to wash off the lube from his flagging cock and balls.

When Atty came back from the bathroom after leaving the wash cloth in the sink, he took a moment to study his lover, his Harper. He was sprawled out in the middle of the bed like a satiated starfish. Atty wondered if he’d quickly drop off to sleep or if he’d want to talk and cuddle for a bit. Either was okay with Atty really, if Harper slept, it would give him a chance to figure out what came next. If he wanted to talk, maybe Harper would simply tell him.

“Are you gonna stand there watching me or are you gonna get back over here?” Harper pushed up into a sitting position and moved off the bed to roll back the bed covers. He stalked to Atty like a lion approaching a gazelle and pulled him close, kissing against the pulse point in his neck. “Come to bed, Atty, I want you to fall asleep in my arms.” He tugged Atty back toward the bed and urged him inside. “Get comfortable, I’ll be right back.” He grabbed his toothbrush and headed into the bathroom to clean up. On his way back to bed he grabbed two bottles of water from the fridge, setting one down on Atty’s nightstand before walking around to his own side of the bed.  He pulled Atty close when he got back into bed, settling his lover’s head on his chest, sighing with the pleasure of being this close.

“Not bad for a guy who thinks he’s a grounded airplane” Atty muttered, reminding Harper of the way he’d described his career over dinner.  His mind was spinning over what had just happened; the way it had felt to make love to Harper and the way he responded to the way Atty touched him, how close he felt to Harper now. It was almost too much for his mind to process.

Harper laughed. “You’ll see how grounded I am later when I’m riding your cock like a jockey on Derby day. As appealing a mental picture as that made, he found himself content to lay here and hold Atty. There would be time for him to saddle up later.

Atty had no doubt Harper would do just that very thing. He brushed a kiss against Harper’s chest and fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no earthly idea if fruit punch makes come sweeter…something has to though, right?
> 
> It thrills me to pieces to write about the Bohemian hotel. I was there last June, which is crazy because today is June first, but I can remember it like it was yesterday. I’ll never forget the moment when I realized that rooftop restaurant was where Jim was going to propose. That hotel is like an old friend and I can’t wait to see it again!
> 
> I need to thank and apologize to Corrie71 and GoWashTheLights, one of you ladies gave this ship a name, Hatticus and for the life of me, I can't remember which one of you it was... Anywho, my response to the ship name was, "I am Hatticus!" 
> 
> This story will conclude tomorrow and I need to thank you all again for taking the time to read about Atty and Harper’s journey!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a rough morning, Atty and Harper come back home to Atlanta where Harper makes some major decisions.

Atticus woke up alone. He reached out across the bed and only felt cold sheets. He kept his eyes screwed shut, wanting just one more minute of the fairytale before he opened his eyes and confirmed what he already knew, Harper was gone. 

He had woken up around 4AM, his arm dead asleep from being wrapped under Harper’s back. He tried to slide it out without disturbing him, but Harper woke and pulled Atty closer, whispering, “Don’t go.” Atty told him his arm was asleep and managed to untangle them so he could go to the bathroom. When he came back, he spooned himself around Harper’s back, his right arm still tingling with pins and needles from the way they’d fallen asleep the first time.  How was it possible that Harper was begging Atty not to leave him and only four short hours later he was gone?

As Atty lay in bed chastising himself for being an old fool, the hotel room door beeped and opened quietly. “Harp?” Atty called out, panic tingeing his voice.

“Dammit, I was hoping to be back before you woke up.” Harp dropped what he was carrying on the table and dashed over to the bed. He pressed a soft kiss to Atty’s worried forehead.

“Where were you? I-I thought…” _I thought you left me, packed up your things and my dreams and left._

“You think I’m that easy to get rid of?” Harper laughed. “I woke up with a raging erection and you were sleeping so soundly, I didn’t want to wake you.” Harper laughed when Atty raised an eyebrow at him. “Okay fine, I did want to wake you. So instead, I watched the wedding video and took notes and wrote my damn story like a big boy.” He thought he would hate every blasted word, but he was surprised at how much fun it was. It had given him a lot to think about when it came to Atty’s offer.  Once he finished the article he had sent it off to the paper, knowing he had done it justice. He wasn’t going to give his editor anything less than his best on what could well be the last piece he wrote for the paper.

“I’m proud of you for getting it done, Harper. I know it wasn’t the most fun thing you’ve ever written.” Now that his heart wasn’t pounding so hard anymore he had a chance to study Harper. His eyes were a deep, rich blue and were glittering as he looked at Atty. He was wearing the same pants and shirt from yesterday only they were much less wrinkled  now, thankfully. Harper looked refreshed and happy.

“That’s the ironic thing, Atty. It was the most fun thing I’ve written, which is why I left.”

Atty was confused. Why would Harper enjoying the wedding story make him leave the hotel room?

Seeing the confused look on Atty’s face, Harper reached out to his lover and pressed a kiss to his dry lips.  “Hold on and I’ll tell you all about it.” He crossed to the table to grab the coffee and muffins he’d brought back. He handed a muffin and coffee to Atty and toed off his shoes, so he could join him in bed with his own breakfast.

“I thought a lot about your Savannah Magazine offer after you fell asleep last night.” He leaned over to kiss Atty’s head. “Any by the way, you snore.”

“I am highly offended you would suggest such an ungentlemanly thing.” Atty burst out laughing, he knew he snored, but it had been so long since he slept with anyone else in the room that he never gave it another thought.

“Anyway,” Harp continued, content to let the matter of Atty’s snoring rest for the moment. “I looked at the article as a test drive for my new life. I know you said the guy who writes with you now is a hack, so I wrote two versions of the story, one for the paper and one for you. I thought maybe you could send it to your editor as my application for the job or something.”

“Harp, I can’t believe it.” In his panic about waking and finding Harper gone, he hadn’t thought to consider any of what Harper was telling him. He had obviously thought long and hard about Atty’s offer and he seemed to be leaning toward doing it because he would enjoy the work.

“Yeah well I couldn’t believe you were still asleep, especially after I typed out two pieces, banging away on my computer. I knew if I didn’t get up and leave the room, I’d end up waking you with my mouth on your naked skin, so I went looking for something to wear and forgot you sent them to be washed. I had to call down to the laundry for them to deliver my clothes. Then I stopped down to the front desk to see if they had a copy of the AJC and they didn’t, but they told me about this cute coffee shop down on River Street, so I went down there for the paper and bought coffees and peach muffins. I know you said we were going to brunch, but with as much energy as we used last night, I figured, mmmpph-”

Atty surged forward and wrapped his arms around Harper. His heart had felt like it had shattered when he found Harper gone and now he felt like he was holding the whole world in his hands. Not only hadn’t Harp left, but it was starting to sound like he wanted to work with him for the magazine and leave his job at the paper behind him. He pressed his lips to Harp’s, ending his story about coffee and muffins. He felt Harp’s lips curl into a smile against his own and pulled back to look at him.

“You thought I left you?” He asked softly, carding a hand through Atty’s bed head. “Silly man.” He whispered when Atty nodded. “I should have been back sooner, but I stopped to watch Savannah.”

“Watch Savannah?” Atty watched Harper’s eyes glow as he started to explain his morning out. They were filled with joy and excitement over what he’d seen.

“Well, if I’m going to write for their magazine I need to know a bit more about the people who live here, don’t I?” He’d enjoyed walking along the cobblestones of River Street watching people enjoy their Sunday morning. He’d seen plenty of joggers, each of them waving or tipping their hat to each other and to him as they passed. Everyone in Savannah had a smile on their face and a moment or two to stop and talk with each other. He liked the city, liked the friendly vibe he felt here and being a seaside community heavily involved with the arts, being gay and in a relationship wouldn’t be as much of a stigma as it still was back in Atlanta.

“You’re going to do it? Quit the paper and come work for the magazine?” Atty was ecstatic, his mind was spinning with the possibilities of what they could accomplish as a team, not to mention being able to spend so much time together. He could scale back his law practice, the younger attorneys were hungry to make partner anyway…

Harper smiled, his hands still lost in Atty’s hair. “Since someone I know fell asleep pretty quick last night.” He poked Atty’s side to emphasize his point. “It gave me a lot of time to think and to be honest, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do, but then I wrote the story and liked it and...”

“And?” Atty held his breath waiting for Harp’s answer.  


“I decided that if I liked what the magazine editor had to say about the position, I’d take it.” It felt good to say it out loud. He’d been scared when he admitted it to himself earlier this morning, but he knew he was just scared because it was a big change in his life. He had a feeling it was the first of many big changes to come.

“You’re serious?” He could see in Harper’s eyes that he was, he just needed to hear him say the words.

“I am. I spent the last thirty years chasing stories all over the world. It was exciting and scary as hell sometimes, but most of all, it was lonely. I don’t want to be alone anymore, Atty. You said last night that this could be the beginning rather than the end and that’s what I want, the beginning of my new career with Savannah Magazine and the beginning of a relationship with you, if you’ll have me…”

“Oh I’ll have you, alright.” Atty pulled him close and kissed him. He could taste sweet coffee and peaches as their tongues danced together in his mouth. “So we’re partners?” Atty asked when he came up for air.

Harp nodded, “Boyfriends too.”

“Aren’t we a little old to be boyfriends?” Atty rolled Harper onto his back and straddled him, he was still naked from the night before and his excitement was obvious.

“You’re only as old as you _feel_ , Atty.” Harper reached out to stroke Atty’s heated flesh, grinning when Atty shuddered at his touch.

“Boyfriends it is.” Atty agreed. He bent forward to undo the buttons of Harper’s shirt. “What was it you were saying last night about wanting to ride me like stallion on Derby day?” Atty leaned forward to kiss Harper again.

Harp tossed Atty onto his back and started stripping out of his clothes. “Jockeys up.”

XX

“You were right, this is the best brunch I’ve ever had.” Harper grinned around a mouthful of pancakes. The Bohemian Hotel was famous for its Sunday brunch. People came from as far away as South Carolina and Florida to have brunch here.  Harper licked his lips after the last bite of his light as air pancakes.

They had made love twice that morning. Once with Harper riding his valiant steed to victory and the second time in the shower using the peach scented shampoo for lube.  “I’m gonna go grab some more food, can I bring back anything for you?” It would be his third trip through the buffet line, making love with Atty had worked up an appetite.

“Just those delicious lips.” Atty pulled him close for a maple syrup flavored kiss. So far, Harper had eaten a stack of pancakes, a bowl of grits and a heap of eggs Benedict. Much more, and Atty figured he’d have to undo the button on his pants, not that he was opposed to that, just not in the restaurant.

“Atticus, it’s great to see you today, wasn’t sure if you were going to make it in or not.” A high-pitched, male voice interrupted.

Harper broke away from Atty to see a tall, flamboyant, young waiter standing at their table, clearing away Harp’s second empty plate.

“Danny, this is my friend, Harper. Harp, this is Danny, he’s been a waiter here almost as long as I’ve been coming in for brunch.” Atty could feel the tips of his ears turning pink with embarrassment. He’d been so busy fawning over Harper he hadn’t given a thought to seeing Danny today.

“Boyfriend.” Harper corrected with a sunny smile. He stuck out his hand to shake with Atty’s friend. “Nice to meet you, Danny.”

“You too, Harper. It’s nice not to see him alone.” Danny smiled and moved off with the dish.

“Sounds like there’s a story there, Atticus.” Harp said suggestively. Danny looked to be about thirty-five years old and had short, spiked bleach blonde hair. He also looked like he spent more time in the gym than anywhere else.

Atty blushed to the roots of his hair. How was he going to tell Harp that Danny made it quite clear he was Atty’s for the taking? Atty cleared his throat. “I-uhmm…”

Harper burst out laughing. “He wants you, doesn’t he?” Harp laughed again at the shocked look on his face. “I don’t blame him one bit. I wanted you the second I saw you.”

“Harper, you told me to ‘get bent’ the second you saw me.”

“Doesn’t mean I didn’t want you.” Harper winked and headed back to the buffet line.

XX

Checkout time at the hotel was 11AM which left Harper and Atty an hour before they had to pack up and head back to Atlanta. They decided to take a walk along the Savannah River. “I sent your story about the Smithe-Davis Wedding along with my favorite pictures to Bella Valentine, the editor of Savannah Magazine. I’m hoping you’ll hear from her soon.”

“You know, this is the first time I’ve ever been to Savannah. I’ve lived in Georgia since I was a freshman at UGA and I never made it out to the coast.” He’d circled the globe several times as a reporter but had missed the jewel of Georgia only four hours from his front door.

“What do you think?” He linked their hands together when Harper turned to stare out over the shops of River Street.

“Feels like home.” Harper said with a smile. He felt comfortable here, able to be himself.

“The friends I told you about, Jim and Leo, would like to buy a vacation home out on Tybee.” Atty pointed off to the east. “And with as much as we’re going to be out here working for the magazine…” Atty left his thought hanging in the air.

“Maybe we can meet with a realtor the next time we’re in town?” Harper suggested. “Not that I didn’t love staying at the Bohemian, but it would be nice to have a place of our own.”

Atty and Jefferson had talked all the time about moving to Savannah, but there never seemed to be enough time, what with Atty logging as many billable hours as possible and Jefferson building his own CPA practice. It looked like his dream of living by the sea might finally come true with Harper. Atty nodded and pulled Harper close for hug.

XX

Atty didn’t want to say goodbye. Both of their cars had been pulled round to the front of the hotel by the valet parking attendants and both men had been tipped and had moved off back into the hotel. The hotel had been kind enough to send a runner out to the Savannah Hilton to pick up Harper’s car and park it in their garage, for a sizable fee, Atty was more than happy to pay.

Harp was leaning against the door of his car and Atty was standing in front of him, trying to keep himself together. He was failing; his blue eyes shimmered with unshed tears. It was ridiculous to think leaving the Bohemian would shatter the illusion of his relationship with Harper, but he worried all the same.

“Atty, it’s a four hour ride, it won’t be too bad.” Harper cupped the side of his face, his thumb rubbing over his bottom lip. He didn’t want to leave either. He had called a company that specializes in relocating cars and not only was it expensive to have someone else drive his car back to Atlanta, it wouldn’t be delivered until Tuesday. He didn’t mind the cost, but couldn’t be without his car that long. He had things to do come Monday and a shiny new boyfriend to visit across town.

“You’re coming for dinner?” Atty asked, pressing their lips together.

“You bet, and I’ll bring dessert.” Harp winked and kissed Atty one last time.

“You are dessert.” He couldn’t wait to get Harper home and naked in his bed.

“I’ll see you at seven.” Harper leaned in to give him one last kiss before pulling away and getting into his car. He knew if he stayed much longer they’d end up kissing the afternoon away and driving home in the dark.

Atty watched him pull away before he finally got into his own car. He had a stop to make before he headed back to Atlanta. He knew he had Jefferson’s blessing to move on with his life, but news like this needed to be delivered in person.

XX

When Atty had gotten back from Savannah he quickly cleaned the house. He changed the sheets on his bed and added extra towels to his en suite bathroom. It was hard to believe the last time he stood in this bathroom he didn’t know Harper. He had only been away from home for two days, but so much had changed in that short time.

 A quick trip to the market was the next thing on his list of things to do. He picked up some salmon filets, wild rice and fresh asparagus. He stopped in the specialty cheese shop to pick up a selection of hard and soft cheese and some crackers. Harper had liked the look of the cheese plate the couple sitting next to them were sharing at the restaurant last night and wanted to surprise him with a similar appetizer.

Atty was seasoning the salmon when his doorbell rang at 6PM. His stomach tumbled like he was going down the hill of a roller coaster and his heart sped up, pounding like it was going to beat out of his chest. Harper wasn’t due for another hour, but anyone else he knew would have called before coming over.

When Atty opened the door, Harper was standing there, loaded down with bags, a huge smile on his face. “Harp! You’re an hour early, dinner isn’t ready yet.” He leaned in to kiss him, his hands cupping Harper’s face. “I know it’s only been six hours, but I missed you.” Harper made him feel like a teenager again, with his racing heartbeat and the way he counted the minutes until they would see each other again.

“I missed you too. Sorry I’m so early, but I have big news to share, plus I needed this…” He pressed his lips against Atty’s sighing in contentment when their tongues came together. This was nice. Having someone in his life was nice. He couldn’t wait another hour to see Atty. There was so much he needed to tell him and six hours of kisses to make up for missing.

Not wanting to give his neighbors a free show, Atty ushered Harper into the house and led him into the kitchen.  Harper was loaded down with several shopping bags, his computer bag was slung over his shoulder along with a black duffle bag Atty hoped was filled things Harper would need to stay the night.“You can set everything down on the counter, but Harp what is all this stuff? It looks like you packed for an extended stay.”

Harper set the shopping bags on the kitchen island and pulled his computer bag from around his neck. He set it and his overnight bag on the small kitchen table nearby. “Is that an invitation?” He pulled Atty close and kissed him again. He brought his overnight bag with him on the off-chance Atty wanted him to stay the night. He was pretty certain the offer to stay had been implied in the way Atty had kissed him telling him he didn’t need to bring dessert, he would _be_ the dessert.

Harp pulled two bottles of wine out of the first brown paper shopping bag. “I managed to find the wine we both loved so much last night, so I picked up two bottles of that and I grabbed a chocolate torte from the Italian bakery near my house, not that you’re not sweet enough already.” He leaned in to prove his point, his tongue licking across Atty’s lips as his clever hands pulled the dessert out of the bag. “I’m early because I missed you too and I have something important I want to tell you. I also brought an overnight bag…just in case.” He said shyly.

“Just in case what?” Atty asked curiously, playing along. He hadn’t invited Harper to spend the night, but had hoped he knew the offer was implied with the invitation to dinner. It seemed Harper had figured that out for himself.

“Just in case you don’t want to say goodbye, we had a hard enough time with that back at the hotel this afternoon.” Driving away from Atticus was the single hardest thing he’d ever done. Tears were still wet on his cheeks as pulled onto the highway from Bay Street. It wasn’t a surprise when Atty called him from the car to chat, what was a surprise was that it had taken forty minutes. What had also surprised him was that Atty was almost an hour behind him on the ride back to Atlanta. He thought they had left at about the same time, but found out differently when he asked Atty if he wanted to stop for coffee halfway through the four hour ride home. Atty told him he where he was on the drive and didn’t want Harper to wait for him to catch up. He had wanted to ask Atty what he’d done in Savannah after they’d parted but wasn’t quite sure he should ask. Atty would tell him in his own time.

Atty didn’t ever want to say goodbye again. It was on the tip of his tongue to tell Harper just that, but figured it could wait for a more romantic moment. The ride back to Atlanta had given him a lot of time to think about Harper and their future. Neither of them were fresh out of school with bills to pay and careers to build, there was nothing stopping either of them from jumping into a relationship. Harper had wanted them to be boyfriends, which implied a commitment, but to Atty felt like the tip of the iceberg. A boyfriend was someone you took to the movies and out for burgers. He wanted more than that. He wanted something permanent, something built to last. In the years without Jefferson, he had forgotten what it was like to have a partner, someone to come home to and share his life with. He wanted that again with Harper.

“Atty?” Harper had been watching the silent emotions play across Atty’s face. He thought he saw longing and desire, with a dash sadness mixed with hope at the end. He reached out a hand to pull him out of his daydream. “Are you okay?”

Harp’s hand on his arm startled him a bit. “Yeah, I’m fine. I was just thinking I don’t ever want to say goodbye again.” _So much for finding a more romantic moment._

“Me either, Atty.” Harper pulled him in for a hug.  He shivered when Atty’s hands slipped under his shirt to touch his bare skin. Harper started kissing his way up Atty’s neck and was about to suck on his bottom lip when Atty pulled back.

He knew if they didn’t stop now, he’d end up taking bending Harper over the kitchen table. “You said something about big news?” There would be time to make love later. He was excited to hear what had happened with Harper since the last time they had spoken on the ride back from Savannah.

“You’re looking at the new features writer for Savannah Magazine.” Harper was all smiles when Atty pulled him close for another hug.

“You got it? You took it? Tell me all about it.” Atty felt like the Earth was spinning to fast. Not only were they going to be in a relationship together, they’d be working together too.

Harper loved the way Atty was so excited for him. He wasn’t used to having someone in his life who was proud of him or there to cheer him on. His editor had always been proud of him professionally, big stories for the paper meant increased circulation, but this was different. Atty was proud of him. “During hour three of the ride back, my phone rang. I thought it was you…again.” He smacked a kiss against Atty’s already kiss swollen lips.  “But it was from Bella Valentine, the editor-in-chief of Savannah Magazine. She told me they were looking for a features writer and for someone to partner with you on your photo safaris.” Harper made air quotes over the word “safaris.”

“That’s what Bella calls my trips around town with my camera.” He liked working for Bella, she had a ready smile and loved hearing about his adventures in Savannah. She was a northern transplant who had fallen in love with the city while on vacation. She had rented an apartment and found a job before her two week trip ended and had only gone back home to pack and quit her old job.

“She loved the piece I wrote about the Smithe-Davis wedding that you sent to her and she offered me the job on the spot.  I would need to turn in two pieces a month, in addition to working with you on any safaris you do. The money was good, comparable to the paper.”

“Congratulations on getting the job offer, Harper. I’m so proud of you. Are you going to take it or think about it for a while?” He crossed his fingers and offered up a quick prayer that Harper was going to accept the offer.

Harper smiled at Atty, hardly able to contain his excitement. “She emailed the contract so it was waiting for me when I got home. I read it, signed it and faxed it back. I’ll go down to the paper and hand in my letter of resignation tomorrow.”  He brushed their lips together, his hands wrapping around Atty’s shoulders. He shivered when Atty pulled them closer together, his arms circling Harp’s hips.

“I can’t believe it.” Atty marveled. “Meeting like we did and now we’re going to be working together.”

“I couldn’t have done any of this without you.” Harper could feel himself getting emotional again. So many major changes in such a short period of time could do that to a man.

“You can thank me properly later.” Atty winked at Harper, who burst out laughing. “Grab your bag and I’ll show you around.” He led them back through the small living room which was done in tasteful shades of beige. The pop of color in the room was the turquoise sofa, flanked by end tables and a set of matching chairs that shared an ottoman. 

Atty led them down a hall to the master bedroom, which was dominated by a king-sized bed and a large walk in closet. “You’re welcome to spend the night in here, unless you’d rather stay in the guest room.” Atty teased.

Harper shook his head no. “Which side of the bed is yours?” He asked, smirking. When Atty indicated the side closest to the door, Harp set his overnight bag on the other side, claiming it as his own.  He stalked back around the bed and pulled Atty close, claiming him as well. “Better show me the rest of the house quick, before we end up not leaving this room.”

“Good idea.” Atty led him from the bedroom into his office across the hall. It had a large desk facing the back wall. The rest of the room was decorated with his best work.  His favorite picture, Jim down on one knee proposing to Leo, hung above his desk.

“What a great office. It looks like a comfortable place to work. I could spend hours in here looking at all of your best shots.” Harper noticed the picture of Jim proposing and saw several other pictures of the family around the room. It was going to be a pleasure getting to know them.

“This is the guest room.” He said, when he tugged Harper away from his office and into the room diagonally across the hall. It had double bed and a crib. Toys and books were stacked neatly on a set of shelves. “I have this for when the kids come to spend the night.”

“You spend a lot of time with them, huh?” Harper asked. He noticed Spiderman toys and books on one shelf and Disney Princess toys on another.

“As much time as I can. I never thought I’d get the chance to be a grandfather and now I have four grandchildren and knowing Jim and Leo, that number is likely to go up.” Atty laughed at the shocked look on Harper’s face. He was going to love introducing him to the Kirk-McCoys.  “Come on, there’s one last room to see.”Atty led him across to the last bedroom, which was completely empty.

“Why is this room empty?” Harper had a feeling he knew the answer to that question.

“It was Jefferson’s office. He was a CPA and liked to work from home. When he passed, I donated the furniture and his books, but didn’t know what to do with the empty room.” _Until today_ , he added silently. “Since we’re going to be working together, maybe we could get a desk and a chair or…” He stopped when Harper didn’t respond right away.

“This was Jefferson’s office and now you’d like it to be mine?” Harper was choking up, he didn’t want Atty to see how this was affecting him. He was moved and honored that he’d be offered this space as his own.

Atty couldn’t quite read Harper’s expression. He couldn’t tell if it was shock or horror or something in between. “When you’re ready.” Maybe he was pushing too hard, too fast.

Harper stepped into the room and looked around. He had a perfect view of the small back yard from both windows in the room. “How do you think a corner desk would look between the windows?”

Atty nodded from the doorway. He hadn’t stepped into this room since the men from the Salvation Army had come to take away the furniture and boxes of books. “I think it would be perfect.”

XX

Harper strolled into John Kennex’s office on the stroke of 9am on Monday morning.  He had managed to find ten minutes Sunday night in between dinner and making love with Atty to text John and set up this meeting. Atty had dashed out of the house before seven to prepare for a court hearing later on in the day which had left Harper free to write his letter of resignation. It was strange at first being alone in Atty’s house, but moments after setting up the computer on the kitchen table he felt right at home. “Morning, John.”

“Oh, come in Harper. You’re wedding story was great, I’ve got a couple more like that lined up for you.” Kennex had been shocked when he had gotten Harper’s story of the wedding. It was well done, which he had expected from such a seasoned reporter, but the tone of the piece told Kennex Harper had enjoyed writing the story.

“No thanks.” Harper said happily. He took a seat across from John and could help laughing at the shocked look on his editor’s face.

“What do you mean, no thanks?” Kennex narrowed his green eyes on Harper.

Harper pulled the letter from the pocked of his jacket and slid it across the desk to sit in front of John. “This is my letter of resignation, it’s effective immediately.”

John exploded out of his seat to pace around the office. “You’re giving up a thirty year career because you got an assignment you didn’t like?”

Harper grinned at Kennex’s antics, he wasn’t going to miss this one bit. “It sure looks that way, doesn’t it? I’m giving up a thirty year career because I got an assignment I loved. You’re looking at the new features writer for Savannah Magazine. I’ll be covering society weddings and charity events. Thanks for everything John.” He thought this would be harder than it was to say goodbye to John and the paper. He supposed this was just another sign leaving the paper was meant to be. Harper laughed to himself when he heard the sound of tearing paper as he walked out of Kennex’s office.

XX

“We got our first assignment, Cher.” Atty said, as he slid into the other side of the booth Harper had saved for them at the local _Chili’s_. Harper looked relaxed in a green polo and had ordered them both a beer. He reached out a hand to Harper who brushed their fingers together.

 “Tell me all about it, Sonny, is it another wedding?”

Atty had seen the email from Bella Valentine when court broke for lunch. He considered forwarding it to Harper, but decided to save the news to share over dinner. “It’s the _Life’s A Beach_ art exhibit at the Jepson Center. It showcases the photography of Martin Parr.  He made a name for himself photographing beaches all over the world. You’ll have the opportunity to interview him and I’ll take pictures of the event.”

“Sounds like fun.”

“Oh and we’re also taking part in the The Savannah Mile on Memorial Day weekend. It’s a one mile charity run through the center of Savannah.”

“So that’s how you stay so buff and toned.” He winked. “What charity does it benefit?”

“The 200 Club which provides financial assistance to families of fallen police officers and firefighters. I’ll call Jim and Leo and see if they want to come out for the weekend too. The boys wondered about buying property out on Tybee Island, this might be a way for them to kill two birds with one stone.”

“When am I going to get to meet them and the kids?” They had been together for almost three weeks now and they had spent most of that time either working or in bed together. Harper felt guilty for keeping Atty all to himself.

“Funny you should ask. Jim called today to invite me to a family barbeque on Saturday. Sounds like the perfect time to show off you off since you still have that new boyfriend smell.”

“I’d rather smell like your aftershave.” Harper winked. “I can’t wait to meet them and the kids.”

“They’re all gonna love you, Harp.” _Almost as much as I do,_ he added silently.

XX

Harp was cuddled against Atty’s chest. He was worn out. He never would have believed there was such a thing as too much sex, but his sore ass was living proof that such a thing was true. There had been a question stuck in his head for the last two weeks. He’d thought Atty would tell him about it in his own good time, but hadn’t said a word. “Where did you go on Sunday when we were leaving Savannah?”

Atty sighed. He should have told Harper about his stop at the cemetery, but wasn’t sure how he would have taken it. “I went to Bonaventure Cemetery to see Jefferson.” His voice was small in the darkened room. “Jefferson made me promise to find love again and I gave him my promise because he was dying. I never could have imagined fulfilling my promise to him until I met you, Harp.”

“Why didn’t you tell me before?” He burrowed closer to his lover, not able to wrap his mind around what it would do to him to have found the man of his dreams only to lose him as Atty had lost Jefferson. He had caught Atty’s unintentional declaration of love and wanted to see if Atty caught it too.

“I wasn’t sure how you’d react.” To be honest, he still wasn’t sure how Harper would feel. Harper was still loose and relaxed against him, which he took as a good sign.

Harper smiled against Atty’s bare chest, pressing a kiss against his heart. “How I’d react to you visiting your dead partner or how I’d react to you being in love with me?”

No sense denying the truth since Harper had heard his slip of the tongue. “To both. I drove out to the cemetery, sat near the stone and told him all about you, how we’d met and how good it felt to hold your hand. For the first time since he passed, I felt at peace. As crazy as it sounds, it felt like he was giving me his blessing.”

Harp pulled away from Atty and sat up, moving to straddle Atty before lying down on his chest and pillowing his chin on his hands. “I’d like to meet him. Introduce myself and tell him that you’re in good hands, that you’re loved.”

“What are you saying, Harp?” Just because you loved someone, didn’t mean you were _in_ love with someone.

“I thought it was pretty plain.” Harper giggled, cupping Atty’s face in his hands. This wasn’t how he planned to tell Atty about his feelings. He was thinking more along the lines of a grand gesture, but this would do, naked and wrapped around each other

“Say it, Harp. Say it out loud.” Atty needed to hear him say the words. He had felt the same way about Harper from the moment they’d met and he’d almost told him how he felt a dozen times since that day. The time hadn’t been right or it wasn’t romantic enough or Atty was afraid Harper wouldn’t say it back.

“I love you, Atticus. I have from the moment we met.” He brushed a sweet kiss against Atty’s lips.

“Was that the moment you told me to ‘get bent’ or the moment after that?”

Thank you so much for reading this story. I’ve stopped writing McKirk fanfiction to focus on writing original MM fiction under the pen name Pandora Pine. If you’re interested in my books, you can check them out here: http://www.amazon.com/Pandora-Pine/e/B013BSSBX0/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1465949272&sr=8-2-ent

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading about Harper and Atticus. 
> 
> The art exhibit, Life’s A Beach is going on this summer in Savannah and The Savannah Mile was held on Memorial Day weekend. It does benefit the charity I mentioned. Hell I’d run the mile for that charity, I’m sure Jim and Bones will too…
> 
> Atty and Harper’s story will continue to play out in tomorrow’s new chapter of Georgia On My Mind!


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